Lacey’s Becoming

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Got a real special story for you today:) Not that they’re not all special, LOL, but this one is quite powerful in the sense that it explores the discovery of one’s passion! A topic I hold very dear, as I believe in doing what you love:) After all, don’t you think the world would be a much happier place if more people took this route?

Ok, without further ado, enjoy…:)

By

Rico Lamoureux

All Rights Reserved.

Life-changing moments are unmistakable, not only moving your world but shattering it, leaving you with a new perspective that indeed becomes part of your soul.

For Lacey this occurred at the age of seventeen, during her early morning English class. As she and her peers filed into class and took their seats they had noticed the flat screen TV and DVD player set up in front, all getting excited that this was going to be a laid-back period.

Their lesson was on character, their teacher wanting to expand their understanding on such now that they had been studying story for several weeks. He didn’t say much before starting the film, one sentence in fact being the only words he chose to speak.

“I’ve been a student of story my entire life, and simply know no better way of sharing with you the importance of authentic character.”

The first image of the film had some of the students sighing in disappointment, its faded look compared to what they were used to clearly dating it to a time before they were even born.

But within that first minute of My Left Foot all skepticism appeared to have diminished, a silence falling over the class as Christy Brown used the only part of his body that he had control over to remove a record from its album cover, place it on a record player, and start playing it, then proceeding to create art with that determined left foot of his.

Not a single word was spoken for the reminder of the film’s running time, these young minds beholding a level of brilliance they had never seen before.

Time would later show that the most affected had been Lacey, utterly and completely moved, her mind shifting back and forth while watching, being sure that it was a documentary whenever the main character was on screen, as he was just too real, but not so sure when analyzing the rest.

She had tried to watch for the credits when they began to roll, but with the simultaneous ring of the bell and students scattering all about to leave she wasn’t able to see if this indeed had been an actor or not. With red puffy eyes, it had been all she could do to hold back the tears, too embarrassed to go up to her teacher and ask for the answer.

And so she had headed to the bathroom with her cellphone, locking herself in a stall and not caring if she would be late for her next class. She had to know…

Daniel Day-Lewis. An English-Irish actor who had portrayed the real-life artist Christy Brown, with ten credits to his name since. She had seen none of them, up to this point her young adolescent mind having only been filled with the fluff of someone her age being used to digesting.

For the last few weeks until graduation Lacey studied every performance of this actor who didn’t act, but became, with her inspiration only deepening when she learned of his unparalleled methods, including the fact that he had refused to leave his wheelchair throughout the downtime of being Christy Brown. It had never before occurred to her that art could be so beautiful, reflect such truth. Her heart now knew what path to set out on.

Naturally she couldn’t wait for a taste, looking up acting classes in her local area before trying out a few.

To Lacey it was like holding a brittle leaf when she had beheld a beautiful rose, finding the so-called acting exercises to be rigid if not downright claustrophobic, the experience helping her realize that her Day-Lewis DVDs was all she really needed, these master classes giving her permission to just let absolutely everything go when embodying a character, her bedroom becoming her training ground.

The more she explored the more Lacey’s thirst grew, until she could no longer stand it, answering a casting call at her local theater. She had scheduled for the last day of auditions, using the time to become.

She was offered the roll that evening, but went in two days later to inform the director she had to remove herself from the production despite his pleas for her to stay.

It had just been announced through the trade papers that after a four-year hiatus Day-Lewis would be returning to his craft for a film that was scheduled to start shooting in early 2017. Knowing of his long breaks between projects, Lacey was determined to be a part of her distinguished maestro’s work, even if it only meant as a Background Extra.

Other than being a Fashion Drama set in 1950’s London the world had no idea what this film would entail, let alone its title, for this is just how its writer/director, Paul Thomas Anderson, preferred it. So with unwavering optimism only youth can provide Lacey set out to London mere days after graduation, convincing her parents, only after several rounds of opposition, to allow her to use a portion of her college fund to head out across the pond in pursuit of her dream.